Loose-leaf binder



Nov. 11, 1952 J. c. MILLER 2,617,423

LOOSE-LEAF BINDER Filed Feb. 17, 1951 FIG. I.

FIG. 3.

22 INVENTOR 22o. -j JOSEPH c. MILLER ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 11, 1952 LOOSE-LEAF BINDER Joseph C. Miller, Compton, Calif., assignor to Coast Envelope Company, Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of California Application February 1'7, 1951, Serial No. 211,464

1 Claim.

This invention has to do with loose-leaf binders and. has for its principal object the provision of a, binder of the ring-type which incorporates novel, inexpensive and simple means for flexing the free ends of the binder rings or loops apart to enable insertion or removal of perforated sheets.

Other objects and advantages will appear hereinafter.

For the purpose of explaining my invention, I shall now describe it in one of its presently preferred embodiments, for which purpose I shall refer to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view showing the device in position binding a stack of perforated sheets;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view, partly in section, showing the binder loops flexed to separate their free ends for insertion, or removal of sheets;

Fig. 3 is a View similar to Fig. 2, but showing a sheet being inserted in the binder atop the bound stack of sheets; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective.

Referring now to the drawings, the numeral 5 designates a stiff backing sheet for the binder, on one end portion of which I mount a binder element generally designated by the numeral Ill.

The binder element [0 comprises a base portion having end extensions l6 secured to the backing sheet as by rivets [8. The base has, along its rear or right-hand edge, upturned ears IQ for the purpose to be described.

Along the forward or left-hand edge of the base, there are upwardly and thence rearwardly and downwardly curved integral, flexible, somewhat semicircular binder loop elements 29, each of which normally terminates substantially in contact with one of the ears [9. By flexible I mean that the loop elements may be flexed in the manner of a spring and upon release will return to their original or normal position. As best shown in Fig. 1, the sheets 22 to be bound are perforated at 23 to pass the loops.

The structure described up to this point is more or less conventional, each of the loop elements together with its underlying base portion constituting a substantially C-shaped binder loop or ring, and it will be understood that other well known forms of ring-type binders may be substituted for the structure described up to this point.

My present invention has to do with the combination, with a ring-type binder, of means for flexing the loops so as to separate their free ends sufficiently to permit insertion and removal of sheets.

This element comprises a substantially rigid plate 30 having transversely aligned perforations 33 disposed to register with and pass the respective loops 20, the plate being mounted on the device in the same manner as the bound sheets 22, and being positioned at the bottom of the stack of sheets as best shown in Fig. 1.

Thus, as best shown in Fig. 2, when it is desired, for instance, to remove the bound sheets, it is only necessary to move the plate 30 upwardly along the loops to a point at which the plate may be fulcrumed on the loops, and thence, by downward manual pressure on the outer or lefthand end portion of the plate, the free ends of the loops may be flexed apart to permit insertion and removal of the sheets.

If the user merely desires to insert a sheet on the top of the stack, he may swing the bound sheets and the plate to the position of Fig. 3 and insert the new sheet 22a on the top of the stack.

It will be observed that by my invention I have provided a very simple and extremely inexpensive means for flexing the free ends of the binder loops apart, which eliminates the necessity of complicated and relatively expensive means heretofore provided for this purpose.

I claim:

In a loose-leaf binder, the combination of a backing, a flexible, spring-like substantially cshaped binder loop fixed to said backing adjacent one of its free ends, and disposed to receive perforated sheets to be bound, and a susbtantially rigid plate normally disposed beneath said sheets against said backing and having a perforation adjacent one of its edges through which said loop extends, said perforation being sufficiently close to said one edge to permit of the marginal edge portion between said perforation and said one edge being freely received within said loop at all positions of said plate thereon, said plate being movable along said loop toward its opposite free end into a position in which it may be fulcrumed on said loop to flex the free ends of said loop apart.

JOSEPH C. MILLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,152,702 Brown Sept. 7, 1915 1,926,490 Levinsky et al Sept. 12, 1933 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 587,108 Great Britain Apr. 14, 1947 

